A Guide to Finding the Best Boat Names

You have just found your perfect boat, it has everything that you could wish for and more. The price is just shouting "Buy me, buy me"!

"Wait a minute" you say. "I could never ride in a boat called that!"

Naming or renaming a boat is not a task to be taken lightly, it requires thought and careful consideration. The name for your boat may want to reflect the type of boat or something personal to you.

Let's take a look at some of the possible names for different types of boats.

If you have a speed boat or a racing sailboat you may want to opt for a name that is synonymous with speed.

This could be something not only that sounds fast but puts fear into your opponents mind. If you have a boat, let's say, for example, called "Sunshine Seeker" and you wanted to race against a boat with the name "Greased Lightning", where would you put your money if betting on a winner?

It is all about appearances and the ability to maneuver a boat at speed but the name seems to help as well. Below are some examples of names suitable for this type of boat.

• Lickety Split
• Greased Lightning
• Flying Lady (notably from a Rolls Royce)
• Blew By Ya
• Breaking Waves
• Rebel
• Wake-up call
• Bad Boy
• Banshee
• Razor's Edge
• Renegade
  

All of these would be staring in the face of your adversary as you went racing past and into the lead.

If you think of sailing there are two types, racing, and cruising. For racers, you may want to see the names for speed boats above. For pleasure sailing, below are some suitable names. The word wind, not surprisingly, features heavily in these names. Even names of clouds can be used to great effect.

• Summer wind
• Second wind
• Wind dancer
• Tailwinds
• Ocean Breeze
• Peaceful Wind
• Sailing Free
• Sails Call
• Cirrus
• Nimbus

You can almost picture the wind filling the sails and hear the water splashing against the bow.

The use of foreign names has always been a popular choice. Several are of Latin origins.

• Carpe Diem (Seize the Day or Seas the day)
• La Belle Vita (The beautiful life)
• Ohana (Hawaiian term for the extended family)
• Whãnau (Maori term for extended family)
• Adaigo ( slow tempo)
• Adios (Good-bye)

If you are only going to use your boat to cruise in English speaking areas, perhaps these aren't for you unless you are wanting to appear well traveled or wish to conjure up a desire for further travel.

If you're choosing a name for a fishing boat you have many options. Whether the boat is used for charter or for personal use, choosing names associated with fishing tackle or simply the pleasure of fishing.

If you offer a charter boat business, the name should reflect the image you are trying to project. No one wants to go luxury cruising on a boat called "Bait Master but if they are chartering the boat for fishing then it is a great name.

• Gone Fishin
• Catchin Dinner
• Avid Angler
• Bait Master
• Bigger Game
• Reel Deal
• Reel Satisfaction

How could you not catch something with names like these?

I personally love seeing a boat with a humorous name, to me it conveys that the people inside are fun people. They are enjoying themselves and not concerned with what other people think about them or their boat.

• Broke but afloat
• Called in sick
• Going Seanile
• Your Place Oar Mine
• What's up Dock
• Sleeping with Oars

There is a fast growing number of boats with names that conjure up pleasant relaxing thoughts. The idea that you can just sail away and take a break from the real world whilst leaving your problems onshore. Below are a few suggestions.

• Hydrotherapy
• Solitude
• Mental floss
• Escape
• Solitude
• Serenity
• Whisper
• Dreamweaver

There are many names also related to alcohol, these can be fun as long as you don't draw unwanted attention from the port authorities.

• Three sheets
• J & B
• Kahlúa
• Beeracuda
• Shaken not stirred
• Comfortably Numb
• On the rocks

Many people still prefer to use a name from Greek mythology. Below are a few of the more popular ones.

• Phaedra (Bright)
• Adonis (The God of Beauty and Desire)
• Pegasus (The flying horse)

• Poseidon (God of the Sea)
• Zephyr (God of the West Wind)
• Boreas (God of the North Wind)
• Eurus (God of the East Wind)
• Notus (God of the South Wind)
• Odyssey (Epic Voyage)

The renaming of a boat is something that is cloaked with superstition. It is thought that bad luck will befall you if a boat is renamed. Firstly a little explanation why. When most of the trading was done by boat, a boat carried a reputation with it. As such, when you arrived in a port to do business you were greeted and welcomed because over time the locals had developed a relationship with the traders. If a boat changed its name, it was treated with suspicion and a new relationship had to begin.

If you have bought a boat and you just truly cannot live with the name. The following is what you need to do.

You must first remove everything that has the ship's previous name. Get rid of everything that may have the old name on it. Don't forget key chains or life rings the name may come off with cleaners. If they are stickers, there are products on the market that will remove them as well as scrapers. There are a few products to the side here.

Notify the Coast Guard of the name change with proper documentation. Once you are sure you have removed everything, then you will need a christening ceremony. Invite some friends and bring the champagne. Not the cheap stuff, some of it will be offered to the Gods of the Sea. You will need to make a speech to the boat and notify her and the Gods of the name change. Splash champagne across the hull. There is no need to smash a bottle on the boat.Toast her, the Gods, and her new name.